$513,665

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UPDATE #2: Stretch Goal Met! Every machine comes with the Flip Jig for two side machining and INNER CIRCLE pledges come with a vise. Thanks to everyone who helped us get there!

UPDATE #3: We have unlimited BUILDER level (Shipping starting in Dec) and a limited number of INNER CIRCLE level available (Shipping starting in Jan).

Press:

Thanks again to all our supporters!

Turn Your Desktop Into a Workshop

With The Nomad 883 we’ve taken the guesswork out of operating a CNC machine. Everything you'll need to get started is included - software (for Mac and PC), cutters, cables, even a starter pack of material. You'll be cutting parts out on day one.

The Nomad 883 is fully enclosed to control the mess and limit the noise. You can get a Bamboo enclosure for a home or studio, or a durable HDPE enclosure for the shop or garage.

The Idea Behind The Nomad 883

Some early Nomad sketches

We’ve been in product development for 16 years and have used all of the big digital fabrication technologies - 3D printers, CNC mills, and laser cutters (we own one of each). We know what they’re capable of and what the pitfalls are. Of the bunch, the CNC mill is the most versatile machine but it comes with a big list of flaws: it’s complicated, loud, messy, slow, and intimidating.

In spite of the drawbacks, we always turned to our CNC mill when we needed a perfect prototype.

Early CAD model of The Nomad - We've come a long way

Rob, one of our founding partners and creator of MeshCAM, brought up the idea of building our own machine from the ground up, with all the software and firmware necessary to close the gap between the usability of 3D printers and power of CNC Mills. We loved the concept, and decided to work full-time on The Nomad 883.

Our first engineering prototype

Hassle Free Experience

The Nomad 883 ships with MeshCAM to turn your 3D part into something a CNC mill can work with, and Carbide Motion to control the Nomad 883.

The Nomad uses an embedded motion controller so you won’t have to dedicate a computer to control the mill like some PC-based CNC machines. Just plug the USB cable into your Mac or Windows computer and you’re ready to go.

If you have a favorite CAM program and don’t want to re-learn a new workflow, no problem. Carbide Motion can read gcode from any CAM program.

What Can You Do With The Nomad?

CNC mills are incredibly versatile, and there is almost no limit to what they can do. A better question is what CAN’T you do with The Nomad. CNC machines are at the heart of the manufacturing industry, doing everything from engraving to high-precision cutting. In short, you can really make almost anything, and here are just a few examples:

Turn 2D artwork into 3D parts

Molds - machine once then make dozens of parts

Jewelry - make test masters

Jewelry - lost wax casting

Engrave on plastic, wood, or metal

Make lithopanes using real photographs

Make your own prototype PCBs

Rock-Solid Aluminum Frame

At the core of the Nomad 883 is an extruded aluminum frame. Rather than using plastic or wooden panels as structural supports, we decided to use aluminum to provide a rigid base that will let you cut a large variety of materials.

A Spindle Made For CNC

The evolution of our brushless motor driver boards

The final production-ready boards

Early in the development of The Nomad we decided that trim routers or Dremels just wouldn’t do, so we designed our own spindle with a brushless DC motor and closed-loop speed controller. That means you'll have a quiet, powerful spindle that isn’t going to want to make you leave the room when the machine is running.

With the lid down and cutting wood in light passes, The Nomad is quieter than our commercial-grade 3D printer.

Fully Enclosed

To contain noise and dust, the Nomad 883 comes fully-enclosed in a bamboo or HDPE shell and a polycarbonate lid.

You can place the nomad next to your computer and work while the machine is running, without worrying about upsetting your neighbors or the guy at the next desk.

This is not a kit, this is a machine

Nomad 883 is a fully assembled turn-key machine that comes pre-tested directly from the factory. Upon arrival, you only need to unbox the machine, and plug it in. There is nothing to assemble, and no programming to be done. After installing the included software, you'll be ready to make your own parts.

If You Can Use a 3D Printer, You Can Use The Nomad

Typical CNC machines need a lot of manual setup, but The Nomad 883 has homing switches and an integrated tool length probe to take care of that for you. All of it is calibrated from the factory so you won't have to fiddle with anything.

Cross-Platform Software

The Nomad 883 comes with two pieces of software, Carbide Motion and MeshCAM, that work on both Mac and Windows.

Carbide Motion is the software that lets you load a part into The Nomad and cut it out. We designed it from the ground up to make things as simple as possible without limiting your control. We added a toolpath simulator so you can see what your part will look like before starting your job.

MeshCAM is a 3D CAM program that translates your 3D files into something that The Nomad can use. MeshCAM has been under continuous development for 10 years so it’s not something new we just came up with. MeshCAM has been used by thousands of users to make everything from jewelry to die cast molds and aerospace parts.

We're Here to Help

We have a dedicated content-creation team that is putting together dozens of projects and tutorials to get you started quickly, and once we get everything up and running, we’ll be adding more every week.

Pricing

CNC Mills with this level of integration retail for thousands of dollars, but The Nomad gives you an affordable package without sacrificing quality. After Kickstarter The Nomad 883 will be under $2500.

The Specs

Why Kickstarter?

We’ve spent the last nine months designing and testing this machine. Everything we’ve shown above was cut on a Nomad 883. Now we’re ready to take it to the next step - a full production order for all of our suppliers.

We’ve been buying standard parts and having custom parts made in small quantities up to now. We haven’t worried about the cost because we’ve only been making prototypes for testing.

Now we need to increase the quantity so we can get the cost down to where we think it needs to be. If the order is large enough, we’d like to hire a technician to help with assembly.

This is where Kickstarter comes in. We’d like to get everyone who’s interested in the future of digital fabrication onboard with a Nomad 883. More than just buying a machine, we’d like to have everyone join our community and help us test the code and the machine so we can make sure it lives up to its potential.

Nomad Production Plan

We're planning for a gradual ramp up in production, starting with a first batch of 10 machines and going up from there (many of the parts for the first batch are already done).

Immediately following our Kickstarter campaign, we'll begin placing orders for our long-lead-time items like bearings, motors, and PCB's. These items have a delivery time of approximately 30-45 days.

During that time, we'll be working with the local shops on the machined items. About 50% of the machined items have been through the production process by now so we know that we're looking at a lead time of about 30 days for machined parts.

We'll use the 30 day delay to work out shipping and tighten up the software.

We anticipate a first batch of approximately 10 machines to ship in August with a second batch of 20 in September, and 40 in October.

After 3 batches, we expect to have worked out any production bugs and we'll begin increasing the monthly quantity so that the bulk of the remaining orders get shipped in November.

Software Development

Carbide Motion, The software needed to run the machine has been in development for several months. We've been the only users up to now so it'll probably be changed frequently based on customer feedback once we begin shipping machines.

MeshCAM, the software to plan the cutter motion based on CAD files, has been in development for 9 years and used by tens of thousands of people so we do not anticipate the need to make significant changes to support The Nomad.

Risks and challenges

We've taken our time to do lots of testing on The Nomad. We're confident that the mechanical and electrical designs are solid.

We depend on suppliers for a number of the pre-made components like motors and bearings. A number of these suppliers are in China and we've ordered several batches of parts and worked with them over the last 6 months to ensure that they're the kind of suppliers that we want to work with.

Our electronics are being built in two different local assembly shops so that we can shift from one to the other in the event that problems arise.

We make machined parts, like the frame and enclosure, at local machine shops and in our own shop. We have worked hard to make the design very manufacturable and not depend on specialty equipment available at only one shop. We can work with a variety of local suppliers if needed.

Perhaps the biggest unknown right now is the production rate. A successful Kickstarter campaign will give us greater ability to overcome any obstacles by hiring additional people or bringing more production capability in-house.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,599 or more
About $2,599

CARBIDE INNER CIRCLE - At this pledge level you will get a Nomad 883 with the material and cutter MEGA PACK, a jig for two-sided machining, and a free upgrade to MeshCAM Pro. Nomads at this level will ship after the early bird rewards.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,599 or more
About $2,599

CARBIDE INNER CIRCLE (Batch 3) - At this pledge level you will get a Nomad 883 with the material and cutter MEGA PACK, a jig for two-sided machining, and a free upgrade to MeshCAM Pro. Nomads at this level will begin shipping in December.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,599 or more
About $2,599

CARBIDE INNER CIRCLE (Batch 4) - At this pledge level you will get a Nomad 883 with the material and cutter MEGA PACK, a jig for two-sided machining, and a free upgrade to MeshCAM Pro. We expect Nomads at this level to begin shipping in Jan, after batch #3.